"Our company's purpose is helping people on their path to better health," Tom Davis, vice president of professional services at CVS Health, said. "Helping the communities we serve address and prevent opioid abuse is one way we fulfill that purpose."

The well-known American retailer and healthcare company, with more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy store locations across the country, expects to make the opioid antidote available without a prescription in 20 states this year. Being nearly halfway done already, it's on schedule to meet its goal by the end of this year.

This reporter had the opportunity to ask Davis a few questions about CVS Health's role in the opioid epidemic, how the healthcare company expects to expand naloxone availability and what pharmacists can do to properly consult patients on opioid abuse.

CJ Arlotta: Why is it important for CVS Health to expand naloxone availability without a prescription?

Tom Davis: We have worked to increase access to the opioid-overdose reversal drug naloxone in our CVS Pharmacy locations. Recognizing that addiction is a disease, we believe increasing access to naloxone will give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery.

We also support safe and secure disposal of unwanted prescription medication through our Safer Communities program, which facilitates disposal through drug collection units donated by CVS Health to police departments across the country. And we are focused on prevention through our educational resources on CVS.com and our youth drug abuse prevention program, which connects CVS pharmacists with students across the country.

CJ: How many more states will make this option available to patients by the end of the year? Does CVS Health have a projection of which states specifically?

TD: Specifically, CVS Health has committed to making naloxone available without an individual prescription in 20 additional states in 2016. So far, that expansion has included Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia and Vermont, and we expect to announce additional states throughout the remainder of the year.

These states add to those where we already operate the program, including: Arkansas, California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.

CJ: How is CVS Health working with states to accomplish this goal?

TD: Many people don't know that naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses that can help save lives. At CVS Health, we are dedicated to increasing awareness about availability of this life-saving medication in our pharmacies to give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery.

We support efforts to make naloxone more accessible under a standing order or collaborative practice agreement through regulation or legislation in states across the country. Part of this support includes providing states with information on how our naloxone program works in our pharmacies.

CJ: Once naloxone is made available without prescription throughout all 50 states, what are the next steps for CVS Health?

TD: State regulations need to specifically allow standing order or collaborative practice agreements for naloxone in order for us to enter into these agreements with prescribers. As more states put in place these regulations, we aim to increase access to naloxone in more of our pharmacies. We are also focused on proper disposal of unwanted medication and youth drug abuse prevention.

CJ: How much does naloxone typically sell for in CVS pharmacies? How many kits do patients buy at once, on average?

TD: Generic naloxone is available to customers paying cash for less than $90 dollars for a two-dose kit.

CJ: How else is CVS Health assisting with curbing opioid overdose-related deaths? Does the company provide patients with an addiction information when they pick up naloxone?

TD: CVS Health is dedicated to helping the communities we serve address and prevent drug abuse. When dispensing naloxone, our pharmacists counsel patients and caregivers on a number of important points including: identifying an overdose, the importance of calling 911, giving rescue breaths, administering naloxone and remaining with the patient until help arrives.

Another way we have worked to address this issue is through our Pharmacists Teach Program, which is a community outreach program that connects local students with CVS pharmacists who can share their unique perspective about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. The program has already reached more than 80,000 students with the important message that when it comes to drug abuse, one choice can change everything in their lives. We believe everyone has a role in helping prevent young adults from abusing drugs. The success of this program indicates that together we can make a difference.

We are also focused on ensuring proper disposal of unwanted prescription medication because it helps rid communities of drugs that may otherwise be diverted, abused or contaminate our water supply. Since 2014, CVS Health has operated the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program together with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, to securely collect unwanted medications, including controlled substances, from people in the local community.

To date, this program has donated more than 500 drug collection units to law enforcement partners across the U.S., resulting in the safe disposal of more than 35 metric tons of unwanted medication.

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